Re: Horizontal menus.

From:

Michael Hanni

Subject:

Re: Horizontal menus.

Date:

Sun, 18 May 2003 12:35:51 -0700 (PDT)

Hi Stefan,
--- Stefan Urbanek <address@hidden> wrote:
>
> Some suggestions/ideas...
> - How would it be possible to implement NSStatusBar to be able to have clock
> in the bar, for examlpe? - How feasible it would be to have separate menu
> process (DO server)? (better solution for NSStatusBar)
I think you've hit here what is needed to make horizontal menus useful.
Without, a seperate menu bar process -- gmenubar -- these horizontal menus are
only a hack. NSStatusBar in theory could be a "plugin" for the menubar program.
> Detachable menus... Using some visual bar in submenus (like in motif) is a
> waste of space. What do you think about modifier key+mouse dragging anywhere
> in the submenu? Something similar to draggin windows in windowmaker. You
> press Control or Command or whatever and you drag opened submenu.
I like this, and it could be implemented easily I think.
> Menu key ... there is NSMenuFunctionKey in NSEvent.h What about handling this
> key for menu navigation? You press menu key, previously selected main menu
> item is selected and you can navigate the menu with keyboard (arrows +
> space/enter or fast typing of menu item title). What do you think?
I think this would be useful in GNUstep in general.
> For those 'multi screen problems' ... Would it be possible to implement
> behaviour like 'menu follows mouse'? How useable it would be? I mean, that
> you will have menu that is one screen wide and it will be displayed on the
> screen where your mouse is automatically or by pressing some key, like
> NSMenuKey (mening 'bring menu to this screen').
This issue haunts the GNUstep menus as well. When you use multiple workspaces
menus sometimes follows window, sometimes not. I think it would be preferable
to have menus move with the app window, but a "bring menu to this screen key"
might be an acceptable temporary hack.
> Some issues...
> - I have GNUstep logo, instead of application icon in some apps (gorm,
> project center, gworkspace...) Applications that have correct icon are
> gnumail and affiche.
I'm grabing the NSApplication applicationIcon pretty early on, so: one, the
icon hasn't been set yet; or two, the icon is not being set. I could hook on to
setApplicationIconImage in NSApp and have it set the app menu's icon whenever
it changes.
> - scripting menu in gnumail is like application menu with one item: [icon]
> GNUMail, when I open it, i get real scripting menu. The situation is like:
> Main Menu -> Scripting -> GNUMail -> real menu
I need to get this scripting kit and see this. Off the top of my head I can't
think of how this could be happening...
> - clicking outside an open submenu will not close it (is it possible to
> handle that kind of click?)
Well, I think submenus shouldn't stay open in horizontal mode. This will
require a little more hacking.
Thanks for your input!
Michael